


Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

by vulcanhighblood



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Holding Hands, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Paperwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27665731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulcanhighblood/pseuds/vulcanhighblood
Summary: Or: 5 times Iruka had cold hands and Kakashi made an excellent hand-warmer
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 13
Kudos: 120





	Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> The blame for this fic can be placed squarely at the feet of mir, who happened to mention kakairu cuddling under blankets, and I immediately wondered "Ah! Which one of them torments the other with their cold extremities?" and this fic was born.  
> There is an optional final scene that I have attached in the notes at the end of the fic. It is not needed for the fic to feel complete, but I really liked it. It is, however, a very sad scene so if you prefer happy endings I wouldn't recommend reading it.  
> Enjoy!

“Kakashi! My hands are cold!” Iruka declared, marching into the kitchen as if he were bearing the gravest of news. He held his hands up, reaching for Kakashi’s face.

“What are you - Iruka, no -” Kakashi ducked, avoiding the grab for his face with the speed and grace one might expect him to dodge a barrage of shuriken. “I  _ believe _ you, you don’t have to-” 

Iruka pressed closer, trapping Kakashi against the counter with his body, hands still hovering menacingly as he drew closer. “ _ Feel _ them,” he insisted.

Kakashi stared back at him for a long moment before sighing. “Fine.”

Iruka cackled, cupping his cheeks - yes, with absolutely  _ ice cold hands _ \- before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “You’re so warm,” he breathed, lips brushing against Kakashi’s as he spoke. He squeezed Kakashi’s face gently. “A great hand-warmer.”

Kakashi leaned forward, kissing him back, wrapping his arms around Iruka. “Hmm,” he murmured, his own lips caressing Iruka’s with each word, “is that why you keep me around?”

“It’s one reason,” Iruka confirmed with a cheeky grin, before leaning in to give him a more  _ intense _ kiss. When they broke apart for air, he slowly trailed his hands down the sides of Kakashi’s face before wrapping the  _ still very cold hands _ behind his neck. 

Kakashi twitched, pulling away. “Iruka!”

Iruka threw his head back, laughing. “Let’s make some tea so I can warm up these hands,” he finally suggested. 

“Why didn’t you do that  _ first?” _ Kakashi complained, grabbing the kettle and filling it with water as he spoke.

“Because you’re a much more enjoyable hand-warmer than a lump of ceramic,” Iruka informed him, taking down two mugs. “I’d thought you’d have realized that by now.”   


* * *

“Kakashi?” a voice murmured sleepily from somewhere behind him.  


“Yes?” Kakashi replied, turning to look at Iruka, curled up under the blankets, hair fanned out across the pillow, bleary eyes blinking at him. The morning sunlight was filtering through the window, casting a warm golden glow over the room.

“I’m cold,” Iruka said petulantly, before scooting a little closer to Kakashi, throwing one leg over him and laying a head on his shoulder. 

Kakashi settled into the clingy embrace, a fond smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “We can lay closer to share our body heat,” he suggested cheekily, even though he didn’t think it was physically possible for Iruka to get any closer than he already was.

“My hands are cold,” Iruka grumbled, then added, “feel.”

“Iruka-” Kakashi didn’t get the chance to finish voicing his complaint as a  _ block of ice masquerading as a human hand _ slid under his shirt, lazily dragging up his abdomen before resting on his chest.

“Mmm,” Iruka said sleepily, nuzzling his face into the crook of Kakashi’s neck. “Best hand-warmer.”

“Where have I heard that before,” Kakashi muttered, enduring the chilly hand with a sigh, lifting one of his own hands up to cover it, chafing it lightly.

“Here’s my other hand,” Iruka said then, less sleepily and with a decidedly  _ wicked _ tone. His other hand crept under Kakashi’s shirt as well, burrowing under his back. 

Kakashi wiggled a little, but Iruka kept his  _ frigid _ hand right there against the small of his back, sending shivers up and down his spine. “Iruka. Your hand is cold,” he said in his sternest tone.

“I know,” Iruka replied cheekily, nuzzling Kakashi’s neck, dropping a soft, sweet kiss at the corner of his jaw. “And you’re very warm.”

Kakashi sighed, turning his head to face Iruka, dropping a small kiss on the tip of his nose. “It’s a good thing I like you.”

“Mhmm,” Iruka agreed, finally removing the hand from under Kakashi’s back and curling it around his shoulder instead, leaning in to quickly press their lips together. “It’s a good thing you’re a great hand-warmer.”

Kakashi chuffed in amusement, leaning down to press his lips to Iruka’s for a longer, deeper kiss. “Is that why you decided to date me?”

“It’s in the pro column of the pro-con list,” Iruka replied, when he had the air to do so. “Close to the top.”

“Oh is it now?” Kakashi chuckled. “What  _ else _ is at the top of that list?”

“Well…” Iruka smirked, his hands creeping lower. “You are very good at  _ sharing body heat. _ Care to give me a demonstration?”

Grinning, Kakashi rolled both of them over so that he was now the one on top of Iruka. He gazed down at his bright-eyed lover, who was beaming up at him with more affection in his eyes than Kakashi felt he truly deserved. “I think that can be arranged,” he said smoothly, before yelping as Iruka’s icy hands crept into his pants to cup his ass. “Iruka! Your hands are  _ freezing!” _

Cackling, Iruka rolled his hips insistently. “I know,” he replied when the laughter had subsided, though there was still mirth glinting in his gaze. “Why don’t you help me warm up a little?”

* * *

“Hokage-sama!” Iruka marched into Kakashi’s office like he owned the place. “What is this?” he waved a clipboard menacingly in Kakashi’s direction, like he was contemplating bouncing it off of his head.

Kakashi half wished he would; anything to escape the paperwork was welcome at this point. “I have no idea what it is,” he said tiredly, “You’re waving it around, I can’t see it.”

Slapping the clipboard down on Kakashi’s desk with a bit more drama then was probably earned, Iruka pointed at a line about two thirds of the way down the paper. “What is the meaning of this?” He demanded. “You don’t have room in your budget for this!”

Kakashi blinked in surprise. “I thought you  _ wanted _ new weapons with better weighting and balance for the pre-genin classes.”

“But the budget!” Iruka said. “Where did you find the money for it?”

“I shuffled some things around,” Kakashi answered tiredly. “Our children are important.”

“Oh.” Iruka glanced to the side, grabbing a chair and tugging it over, flopping down on it and staring back at Kakashi. “Well. Thank you, then.”

“Was there something else?” Kakashi asked, already moving to pick up the next stack of paperwork to fill out. Ugh. Sometimes he wished his ANBU were bad at their jobs and would just  _ let _ some assassin come take him out. 

“There is one other thing,” Iruka said slowly, standing and moving to the other side of the desk. “It’s about my hands.”

Kakashi blinked at the non-sequitur. “Your  _ hands?” _

“Yes,” Iruka said, “they’re cold.”

And he  _ stuck them down the collar of Kakashi’s mask _ . Just as quickly, Kakashi was throwing up a hand in the signal for  _ all clear _ before one of his bodyguards decided Iruka’s sudden move was a threat and the man needed to be taken out. “That’s a bit forward of you,” he said, shoulders lifting instinctively as he tried to move away from the  _ cold, why were they so cold? _ hands. “Laying a hand on your Hokage could get you in trouble, you know.”

“Oh no,” Iruka said in a low voice, his lips brushing beside Kakashi’s ear, “Have I been bad? Do you need to  _ punish _ me?”

Kakashi groaned low in his throat. “Iruka,” he finally managed in a strangled tone, “I have paperwork-”

“Kakashi,” Iruka purred, “I think it can wait, can’t it?”

“I…” Kakashi cast a frantic glance around the room. Shikamaru was nowhere in sight. Yeah. He could definitely do without any more paperwork for the day. Reaching back, he clasped Iruka tightly.”Let’s go home,” he said, and the two of them vanished, leaving only a few drifting leaves in their wake. Shikamaru was going to kill him for this, but it would be worth it.

As soon as they landed, Iruka was peeling down Kakashi’s mask, only to wrap his  _ cold, still so cold! _ hands around Kakashi’s face, drawing him into a firm, affectionate kiss. He stepped back a moment later, hands planted on his hips. “Do you know what day it is today?” Iruka asked, in a tone that set Kakashi’s mind immediately scrambling. What had he forgotten? What day was it?

“Uh…” their anniversary? No, that was last month. Iruka’s birthday? No, that had been a few months ago.  _ His  _ birthday? No, that wasn’t right either.

“It’s  _ make the Hokage take a break, Iruka, please, he hasn’t slept in days _ day,” Iruka said firmly, poking Kakashi on the nose. “What, you think I wouldn’t miss my hand-warmer?”

Kakashi scrubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. Had it really been  _ days _ since he’d been home? He’d been home the night before the budget meeting, so… Oh. Right. The budget meeting had been three days ago. “I’m sorry to deprive you of your much needed warmth,” he replied, somewhat cheekily, but feeling genuine remorse. 

“Mmm,” Iruka said, already plucking at the buttons on Kakashi’s clothes, working them off of him with deft fingers. “That’s not  _ all _ I missed.”

“I think I can do something about that too-  _ Iruka!” _ Kakashi yelped, as the Academy Headmaster slipped his  _ cold, cold fingers  _ under his shirt.

Iruka laughed, but didn’t remove his hands. “Come to bed,” he said, “I’ve missed you.”

Kakashi smiled, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Iruka’s forehead, murmuring, “I’ve missed you, too.”

* * *

After the wedding, after the reception, Iruka walked home with Kakashi, tears still glistening in his eyes. “What a wonderful ceremony,” he said tremulously, glancing at him as they made their way to the Hokage residence. “Thank you for making sure everyone could be there for him.”

“Of course,” Kakashi said, “I wanted it to be the perfect day for him.” 

Iruka still looked a little dazed. “I still can’t believe… he asked me to be his father,” he said. “I knew I always felt… but to have him say it…”

Kakashi reached out instinctively, grabbing Iruka’s hand in support, only to hiss through his teeth, momentarily distracted. “Iruka! Your hands are  _ freezing!” _

Iruka blinked, momentarily baffled, before a smile bloomed across his face and he grabbed Kakashi’s hand with both of his  _ very cold _ hands. “They’re always freezing,” he said, leaning in close and laying his head on Kakashi’s shoulder. “That’s why I have you,” he added, patting Kakashi’s hand before lacing his fingers with Kakashi’s.

“Ah yes,” Kakashi said, gazing down at Iruka. “Your beloved hand-warmer.”

“Mm, among other things,” Iruka agreed, squeezing his hand a little tighter. 

They kept walking, but Kakashi was lost in thought, feeling the warmth of his hand slowly seeping into Iruka’s cold palms. He wondered if it would feel any different, holding his hand with a ring on the finger. It would be cold, too, but he thought he might like the feel of it anyway. He gazed down at Iruka thoughtfully. That would be a question for another day, though. Today was about Naruto, and he wouldn’t take that away from either of them.

“Today was a good day,” Iruka said, voice slightly muffled as he spoke into Kakashi’s shoulder.

“It was,” Kakashi agreed.  _ Every day with you is, _ he thought fondly. 

* * *

“Kakashi?” Iruka said, sounding confused and terrified and thrilled and hopeful all at once, “What are you doing?”

Kakashi gazed up at Iruka from where he was kneeling in the middle of their hotel room, ring box popped open to show the simple wedding band he’d been holding onto for far too many years now. “I’m… asking you to marry me,” he said, wondering if maybe that was meant to be a trick question. 

Iruka continued to stare down at him for so long that Kakashi was beginning to wonder if maybe this was a terrible mistake. He’d planned to whisk them away on a romantic vacation, and when Iruka had shown him the hot springs resort he wanted to visit, it seemed like the perfect chance. But now Iruka was glaring down at him, his face growing red. “Dammit, Kakashi!” Iruka began digging into the sleeve of his yukata, finally pulling out  _ his own ring box, _ “I was going to propose to  _ you!” _

“So, is that a yes?” Kakashi asked, thinking that it probably was, but wanting to make sure his premature proposition hadn’t bungled things up. 

“Yes!” Iruka shouted, throwing his hands in the air before reaching down and hauling Kakashi to his feet so he could kiss him soundly. He drew back after a moment, popping open his own ring box to show Kakashi. “I got this for you,” he said, “will you marry me?”

“Of course I will,” Kakashi grinned, before grabbing for Iruka’s hand, “you need to try it on, I think I got the right size - _ we just  _ got out of a bath,  _ how  _ is your hand so cold?!” He yelped, staring down at the veritable block of ice he was cradling in his palms.

“I don’t know,” Iruka grinned. “But I have a good hand-warmer now, so it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to.”

“Yeah, you just bother  _ me _ instead,” Kakashi grumbled good-humoredly. He slid the ring onto Iruka’s finger without issue, carefully wrapping his hands around Iruka’s cold fingers and lifting them to his lips, pressing a light kiss to each knuckle.

Then, Iruka grabbed Kakashi’s hand, wrapping it in the cold embrace of his chilly palms, slipping the ring he’d bought for Kakashi onto his finger. “Oh,” Iruka said softly, “it fits perfectly.”

“The way your hand fits in mine,” Kakashi agreed, tangling his fingers with Iruka’s, gazing down at the two rings. 

“Mm,” Iruka agreed, leaning a little closer, also admiring the rings. “I guess this means we’re going to be planning a wedding.”

“Yes, but this time Naruto gets to be the one handling the logistics,” Kakashi agreed with a chuckle.

Iruka grinned, moving in front of Kakashi, dropping his hand. “That will be nice,” he said. “But before we get too involved in that…” he slipped a hand into the front of Kakashi’s yukata, drawing a yelp.

“Iruka!” Kakashi danced away from his touch, “your hands are  _ freezing! _ ”

“I know!” Iruka followed him across the room, hands outstretched in an almost-threatening manner. “Now come here, my hand-warmer!”

“Go get a cup of tea first!” Kakashi protested, still dancing away from Iruka’s grasping fingertips. 

“I want  _ you, _ not tea!” Iruka protested, finally grabbing a handful of Kakashi’s yukata and tugging him closer. “I always want you,” he added, pressing a kiss to Kakashi’s lips before clapping both hands to Kakashi’s face. “Mmm. Warm.”

Sighing, Kakashi turned his head slightly to brush a kiss on the inside of Iruka’s right wrist. “That is why you keep me around,” he teased.

“That’s  _ one _ reason,” Iruka corrected, drawing Kakashi close, kissing him gently, then more firmly, his hands gliding down Kakashi’s neck, once more slipping into his yukata.

This time, Kakashi sighed into the kiss, allowing the  _ ice cold hands _ to traverse his body, wrapping his own arms around Iruka, drawing him closer. When their lips parted, he said, “Iruka. Your hands are still  _ very _ cold.”

“I know,” Iruka replied cheekily, his eyes laughing with the same mirth as always. “And you’re warm.”

Sighing, Kakashi dipped his head down to resume kissing him, softly murmuring against his lips, “It’s a good thing I love you.” 

“Mm,” Iruka hummed in agreement. “Yes, it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> OPTIONAL FINAL SCENE can be found here (warning - major character death [Iruka]): [optional final scene](https://docs.google.com/document/d/110pQBr0MM7fNXB_u1eZhFXW7XWCb8zVkiPP89IUKM3k/edit?usp=sharing)


End file.
